Lando Norris encountered intense scrutiny over his attitude during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, following a tense interaction with his race engineer Will Joseph. The British driver’s challenging weekend was marked by a pit lane collision and performance struggles, prompting discussions about his mindset and cooperation with his team.
Tensions Rise After Pit Lane Collision at Singapore
The difficulties for Norris began early in the weekend when Charles Leclerc was released into his path in the pit lane, forcing Norris into the wall. McLaren quickly brought him back to the garage to repair his damaged front wing before sending him back out on track. Despite returning to the race, Norris was unable to deliver a top time, with his teammate Oscar Piastri securing the fastest lap while Norris settled for fifth place in the session.
During the session, Norris’ race engineer Will Joseph proposed altering the car’s setup by running laps without DRS (Drag Reduction System) to potentially improve performance. Joseph said,
“It’s up to you but I can probably make the car quicker if we do laps without DRS.”
Norris, showing reluctance, replied,
“Yeah but my car’s not half a second off is it my driving’s off.”
This exchange highlighted a growing tension between driver and engineer about the approach to improving the car’s pace.
Experts Criticize Norris’ Attitude and Approach
After the FP2 session, the Sky Sports F1 broadcast panel criticized Norris’ demeanor. 2009 World Champion Jenson Button expressed confusion over Norris’ attitude, stating,
Image of: Lando Norris
“What really was more telling was Lando’s attitude and how he just seemed so down.”
Similarly, analyst Anthony Davidson remarked on Norris’ tendency to shoulder blame himself rather than work with his team. Davidson added,
“He’s not happy with the car. Lando’s quite guilty of this, typically he’s quick to blame himself before he will work on the car or look at the data. He feels like he can take it on his own shoulders… I feel like in that moment he wasn’t necessarily working well with his engineer to make life easier for himself with the car being more to his liking.”
Davidson also offered insight into how the pit lane incident might have unsettled Norris, saying,
“Maybe he was a bit rattled from what happened in the pit lane, obviously that wasn’t the plan. Sometimes it can knock you off guard but you’ve got to reset yourself and I feel like he got a bit flustered from that moment and then your team-mate goes and sets the fastest time and flusters you even more.”
He further noted Norris’ refusal to fully embrace Joseph’s suggestions, explaining,
“He kind of refused to follow the programme that his engineer felt like, ‘well I can work with the car if you maybe give me more data to go by rather than maybe a lap you didn’t quite optimise… give me a chance to work on a car, I can make it better for you.’”
Norris Reflects on a Difficult Weekend
Speaking to Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz later, Norris admitted his frustrations, saying,
“Just a difficult day for me – not feeling too great with the car, missing all of the feelings that I had here last year. Plenty of things to work on. Just a bad day.”
His tough fortune continued into Saturday’s qualifying session at Marina Bay, where he again managed only fifth place, adding to an already challenging race weekend.
Implications of Norris’ Attitude on Team Dynamics and Performance
This series of events underlines concerns about the impact of Norris’ attitude on his collaboration with McLaren and his overall performance. His apparent reluctance to fully engage with his engineer’s feedback could hinder necessary adjustments to optimize the car’s setup, especially when quick adaptation is critical in competitive environments like the Singapore Grand Prix. As the season progresses, how Norris manages these pressures and works with his team may play a decisive role in his future results.
